The document discusses programming concepts like variables, branching, and looping. It then introduces Scratch, a programming environment where users can create animations using sprites. It provides step-by-step instructions on how to program a cat sprite in Scratch to point towards and move towards the mouse pointer.

1. How do I program a
computer?

2. Three basic ideas
1. Variables
2. Branching
3. Looping
That’s all there is to it. We’ll explore
using a program called Scratch.

4. Sprites
• Sprites are little pictures
• We can animate them by changing the picture quickly
• We can move, rotate, scale, hide, flip …..
• This is how we create movement for our world.

5. This is sprite1,
it comes
already loaded
in the SPRITE
LIST and has
already been
placed on the
STAGE
Task: Right Click and delete sprite1 from
the SPRITE LIST

6. Task: Click on the insert new sprite button.

7. Task: Select the sprite called cat2 from the
animals folder.

8. Task: Rename the sprite and call it cat.
Remember to always call new sprites sensible
names!

9. Task: From the control menu, drag
and drop this rule into the SCRIPTS
AREA

10. Task: From the control menu, drag and drop
the forever rule into the SCRIPTS AREA and
join it together.
Compatible
rules can
be joined
together in
the
SCRIPTS
AREA

11. Task: From
the motion
menu, drag
and drop the
point towards
rule into the
SCRIPTS
AREA and join
it inside the
forever rule
Task: choose mouse pointer from the
drop down list.

12. Task: change number of steps to 3.
Task: From
the motion
menu, drag
and drop the
move 10
steps rule into
the SCRIPTS
AREA and join
it underneath
the point
towards rule.

13. Task: run your program by pressing the
green flag.

14. Notice how the co-ordinates change as
you move the mouse and sprite.